Potent painkiller found mixed with heroin in Worcester

Tuesday

Aug 26, 2014 at 4:14 PMAug 26, 2014 at 4:16 PM

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — The rash of drug overdose deaths beginning this month in the city has ebbed, but police officials still don't believe heroin users are safe from possible deadly doses. Part of that concern could be the recent discovery of fentanyl found in some of the heroin on city streets.

A power pain reliever, fentanyl has been being mixed into heroin in different parts of the country and the results have been deadly.

While Worcester Police haven't said whether this new discovery played a part in the rash of heroin overdose deaths this month, the presence of fentanyl certainly adds concerns.

"It is something very recent, but we don't want to compromise the current investigation by speaking about it further," Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said. "It's the first time we are seeing it. It (fentanyl) is a very powerful substance."

From Aug. 2 to Aug. 6, the city saw 10 deaths from suspected heroin overdoses. Another two followed since then. The numbers are daunting considering the city saw a total of seven suspected heroin overdoses from Jan. 1 to July 31.

While fentanyl is a more recent discovery, police have seen rat poison, horse tranquilizers and epilepsy medicine mixed with heroin. They have also seen purity rates for heroin ranging from 17 to 67 percent, with higher purity potentially deadly to users not used to higher purities.

Whether the cluster of deaths that took place in August is related remains under investigation. Police are working with state police, the district attorney's office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Chief Gemme said. Drug investigators have been pulling heroin off the streets and making arrests.

"We've been able to seize evidence that has been sent out for analysis," he said. "We are looking for the potential cause of all these deaths."

Chief Gemme said it can take up to six months to receive a toxicology report.

Even though the deaths seem to have slowed down, Chief Gemme doesn't believe the cycle has ended.

"What we've seen in the month of August is something significant is going on," he said. "I'm not completely optimistic we've seen the end of this cycle. I think the evidence is there to support that something is still going on."

In all of 2014, police received 421 calls for drug overdoses, with 282 calls related to heroin. There have been 87 suspected heroin overdoses alone this month.

Officers have recently been equipped with the opiate antidote Narcon (naloxone) after state officials saw the emergency in the city and issued 200 doses to Worcester Police. The department, which was already trained to administer Narcan, then bought another 250 doses. All officers are now equipped with Narcan.

Officers have used Narcan four times, saving the lives of three of those people since they began carrying it.